Columbus

Elevation 4,001'

Columbus is in Luna County, and in the Southwest New Mexico region. You can find Columbus just south of Deming between Deming and the United States/Mexico border along Highway 11.

On March 8, 1916 Pancho Villa and around 400 of his men showed up about four miles from Columbus, New Mexico. They were preparing to attack the town. The town had a group of about 600 soldiers. It was the home of Sam Ravel, a man that Villa had given money to buy arms. Ravel neglected to deliver these weapons nor returned Pancho Villas money.

Before Villa attacked, he told his men the reason they were going to war, was because the Carranza government had sold Mexico to the Americans. Furthermore, the U.S. had been given the power to name three Mexican cabinet members. Although, all this meant very little to Villas illiterate soldiers.